A Russian delegation headed by Deputy Defense Minister Col. Gen. Yunus-Bek Yevkurov on Tuesday arrived in Libya at the invitation of Libyan National Army (LNA) Commander Khalifa Haftar, the Defense Ministry said.
"On August 22, 2023, at the invitation of the commander of the Libyan National Army, Marshal Khalifa Haftar, a delegation of the Russian Defense Ministry headed by the deputy defense minister of Russia, Col. Gen. Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, arrived in Libya," the ministry said in a statement, mentioning that this is "the first official visit" of a Russian military delegation to the North African country.
The ministry added that the sides plan to discuss "fight against international terrorism" and other issues of mutual interest.
On October 20, 2011, the Libyan head of state was killed by US-backed Libyan rebels after his convoy was targeted by NATO coalition missiles.
Since his assassination, Libya has been divided. In recent years, the country has seen a confrontation between the Tripoli-based government in the west and the authorities in the east, backed by the Libyan National Army (LNA) under the command of Marshal Khalifa Haftar.
The south of the country remains in turmoil due to civil unrest, the persisting terrorist threat and armed tribal violence.